Read the most important lessons a beginning real estate investor can learn. : Forbes CommunityVoice™ allows professional fee-based membership groups ("communities") to connect directly with the Forbes audience by enabling them to create content – and participate in the conversation – on the Forbes digital publishing platform. Each topic-based CommunityVoice™ is produced and managed by the group. After 12 years of real estate investing, more than a thousand transactions and 50 houses and notes gathered in my portfolio, I can only say one thing for sure: Experience is an excellent teacher.